How to Grow Crystals of Salt

The crystal-making process would be an exciting project for the children as they could keep a collection of them for viewing.

Apparatus Required

1. Toothpicks (2 Nos)
2. Scissors (1)
3. Jar (1)
4. Water
5. Spoon (used to stir)
6. String
7. Salt (half a cup)

Different Ways Of Growing Crystals of Salt:

Method 1:

Step 1: Pour water into the jar until it is full.

Step 2: Add salt (half a cup) to the jar containing water.

Step 3: Stir the saline solution with the spoon.

Step 4: Using the scissors, cut the string and tie it to the two toothpicks at both ends.

Step 5: Keep the string at the jar top with the toothpick ends at the edges.

Result:

Let the solution to settle for a while so that salt crystals form along the strings. These crystals are an ideal of how cubic crystals would look like and students could do more research on them using microscopes.

When we have a closer look at them, we could spot the differences between them like are there microbes present in them; what shape they have; what colour it has and are they formed properly.

The crystals formed could be put in various lots like small crystals and large single crystals. There would be a large variation in their size as some would be thin like a wafer or even microscopic level whereas some would be tall enough with a height of meters.

Try making a collection of crystals of different shapes, sizes and label them accordingly and keep them in a box for viewing your work afterwards.

Other Ways Of Making Crystals of Salt:

Method 2

Step 1: Heat 120mL of water until it bubbles.

Step 2: Add Epsom or alum for quick results.

Step 3: Take the pan off from the heater and add 60–120mL of salt and stir it until all the salt dissolves. When you say no grains of salt in the water add some more and stir till until the salt no more dissolves itself in water. This means that the solution is a supersaturated solution.

Step 4: Pour the solution slowly into a clean glass jar and stop pouring before the undissolved salt grains fall into the new jar.

Step 5: Add food colour to the new jar.

Step 6: Take a pencil and tie a string to it. Keep the pencil on the top of the jar, balance it well and allow the string to dangle in the water.

Step 7: Move the jar to a safe place and wait until the crystals form.

Method 3

Step 1: Take a flat, shallow, wide container with distilled water and add alum salt or table salt. After a few days, a layer of small crystals will grow at the base.

Step 2: Pour the liquid and select a seed crystal with the pair of tweezers.

Step 3: Attach a smooth wire or fishing line to one side of the crystal.

Step 4: Make a new solution with the same salt used above.

Step 5: Transfer the salt solution into a clean jar and place the seed crystal without touching to the bottom and sides of the jar. Cover the jar with filter paper to protect from dust and do not use an airtight lid.

Step 6: Every week pour the solution through a filter paper to remove the impurities.

Step 7: After a few weeks you can take out the crystal, dry it, and protect it with nail polish to avoid the wearing apart.

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